Automatic cut-off for electric water-heaters.



,R. G. & J. W. PINE. AUTOMATIC OUT-OFF FOR ELECTRIC WATER HEATERSAPPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1912.

Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. C., R. C. & JfW. FINE.

AUTOMATIC OUT-OFF FOR ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.5,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

aftouuqg connected with the heater when said closure vRosooE C. FINE,and JACOB CHARLES C. FINE, ROSCOE G.

EINE, AND JACOB W.

FINE, or NANTICOKE,

PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF FOR ELECTRIC WATER-HEATERS.

' Application filed March 5,

To all whom it may cmwe'rnr I Be it known that we, CHARLES C. FINE, W.FINE, citizens residing at Nanticoke, in the county of Luzerne, State ofPennsyl-- Vania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Cut-Oil's for Electric Water-Heaters; and we do hereby declarethe following to be afull, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in electric waterheaters and more especially to automatic cutoffs constructed andarranged to break the heating circuit when the water in the heater-hasreached a predetermined temperature and the object of our invention isto improve the construction and increase the efiicieney of devices ofthe above described character.

A further object of our invention is to provide a cutoff which may beinclosed in the removable closure for the filling opening of the heaterand which will be automatically of the United States,

is put in place.

Specification of Letters Patent.

With these and other objects in View, our invention will be more fullydescribed,.illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show 'apreferred embodiment of our device and then specifically pointed out inthe claims which. are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central section on an electricheater with our cutofi applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar sectionshowing the cutoff upon an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a transversesection on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on the line'H ofFig. 2 showing the manner of connection employed between the heatingcircuit and our device. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view,on an enlarged scale, of the clamping ring and its adjunct parts.

Referring nore specifically to the drawings, 'in which similar referencenumerals designate corresponding parts throughout, 10 designates ingeneral a well knownform of electric heater comprising a sheet metalbase 11. and a tubular upright portion 12 which forms a casing withinwhich is supported a vertical heating vessel 13 comprising a sheet metaltube closed at lower end Liquid is drawn ofl throu Patented Feb; 4,1913.1912. Serial No. 681,798.

and extending upwardly into the lower end i of a tubular extension ofthe cast metal top piece 14, which constitutes in part a portion of thetop wall of the casing and in part the top wall of the heating chambervessel. The said top piece 1t also forms a support for the liquidreservoir 15 which is preferably madeof glass and which is provided atits top with a removable cap piece or closure 16 which normally closesthe filling opening of the reservoir.

The upper margin of the upright casingmember 12 is seated within anannular groove formed in the bottom of the casing 14 and is clampedbetween the base and said top piece, and the base is attached to thelatter by means of hollow rods or tubes 17 as shown inFig. 1. Thereservoir is-held in place upon the casing by means of tubes 18 whichextend between and are attached at their ends to the casing 14: and to aclamping ring 19 fitted to the upper open end of the reservoir, a seatfor the cap 16 being formed in the upper face of said clamping ring.

The tubular heating Vessel 18 is surrounded by an electrical heatingcoil 20 which is connected with a supply circuit and switch -as will. behereinafter described, said coil being preferably wound about a thininsulating layer of mica. 21 or the like, which immediately surroundsthe heating vessel. The coil is also inclosed by a heat insulating sheet22, of asbestos or the like, to protect the casing from the heat of thecoil.

The liquid passes from the reservoir to the heating vessel through apipe 23 which leads through an opening in the casing 14: and extends tothe lower end of the vessel 13. gb a draw 01f pipe 24 having a faucet25. The p wall or casting 14 is provided with an op ning through whichthe steam and heated w iter niaypass to the reservoir and this openingis preferably fitted with a hollow, perforated plug 26 by means of whichthe circulation of water between the vessel and the reservoir islimited.

The cap 16 is provided at its lower inner edge with an annular, inwardlydirected flange or seat 2'l forined of a non-conductive material such asvulcanized rubber, an seated upon this flange in position to extenddownwardly a slight distance within the vessel 28, preferabl metal andfilled wi high coeflicient of ex A tubular extension municates with and.30 positioned within upwardly and central is a threaded stud 31 itslength with an adj Guide rods 33 exte ametricall a cross b y formed ofli h some liquid pansion such as alcohol. 29 of this vessel, comsupportsa diaphragm p and extending In this diaphragm provided interm usting nut32.

nd upwardly from disides of the seat 27 and ed centrally with a end witha boy slidably mount uides 33, said bore northe upper face of the 32spaced a slight dis conductor wire 37 exalong the upper face of endsdirected downforations formed in the 0 contact plates 38 which 11similar contact plates pperface of the seat 27. t plates 39 are eachconwires 40 which wires are y through bores formed secured by their freeendsv which extend downwardly ace of the seat 27-and ter- 42. which aremovable in d in the upper face of the 9 and which ring is also onductivematerial. -Each terminates at one end over cs 18 and said ends arepropring clips 46 which eads of the pins 41, formnection therewith andat to lock the pin in 47 are connected by ps and are extended the tubes17 and 18 to Suitably insues' 48 lead from the 'one of these wires 48able form of switch 49 nnected to one of the ire 47 is connected to eheating coil 20 while a d by one end to the other nd by its other 49. Itwill thus be seen ended through e movable second switch cut as will beThe top of ded with a ected to the ll incandessocket and ediate ar 34 1spr bore 35 and at each means of which it is the stud 31 and the g mallyresting upon seat 27 with the. nut tance below it. tends longitudinallythe bar and has i wardly through per bar and connected t normally bearupo 39 carried by the u These latter contac nected to conductor passeddown wardl in the seat and are to metal pins 41 from the lower f minatein heads grooves 43 forme clamping ring 1 formed of non-c of thesegrooves one of the tie tub vided with bifur engage over the h ingelectrical con the same time so place. Conductor one end to these clidownwardly throu the base 11 ofg'th lated conductor source of power andruns directly to a suit while the other" is co wires 47. The 0th oneterminal of th wire 50 is connecte terminal ofthe he I end to the switchthat the heating oi the wires 47 and th bar 34 which in efi for cuttingoil" the, more fully explain the cap 16 is pre lamp socket 51 ele wire37 by Wires cent light 53 is 0 acts as an indicat is in operation,handle for the cap.

e 36 by ed over a'ting coil a rcuit is ext e wire 37 of th ect forms aeating curr ed hereafter ferably provi ctrically conn 52 and a smaarried by this or to show when the heater 'd light also acting as a ghtsheet I In operation, the cap is turned to disenhaving a gage the pins41 from their clips, the reservoir 15 and heater chamber 13 are filledwith water, the cap is replaced and counterturned to again lock it inplace and to close the circuit through the wires 47 and the wire 37 andthe current is then turned on by means of the switch 49. As the water inthe reservoir is heated the heat is transmitted to thealcohol in thevessel 28 forcing the diaphragm to expand .and so raise the stud 31together with the nut 32., When the tem perature of the water hasreached a certain point, determined by the position of the nut 32, thenut bears against thelower face of the bar 34 and raises the same fromplace, thereby breaking the circuit between the wires 47 and the wire 37and as this circuit is part of the heating circuit all further heatingof the water is stopped. The light 53 which is also energized by thiscircuit is cut out thereby showing thatthe water has been sufficientlyheated. As soon as the water has cooled below the required point thediaphragm contracts and the bar 34 is seated to again close thecircuitto reheat the water. i

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that we have provideda simple and effective cut oil? for electric water heatwhich not onlyopens the heating circuit when the water has been sufiiciently heatedbut which also closes the circuit when the water becomes cool. Becauseof this the heater is rendered absolutely automatic and will maintainwater at a uniform temperature with the lowest possible expenditure ofelectrical energy and without any attention from the user.

'It will of course begganderstood that minor changes in detailsof'construction, such as .may be necessary to adapt our device for useupon electrical water heaters of forms other than the one illustrated,may be made if delng from the spirit of our invention.

What is claimed is: 1. The combination. with. an electric heater havinga heating circuit, a heating vessel, and areservoir, of a removable capfor closing said reservoir, a thermostatically movable contact membercarried by said cap, and

means also-locking the cap inplace.

having a heating circuit, a heating vessel, and a reservoir, sa1dheating vessel and reservoir being connected by tie tubes extendcap forsaid reservoir, a seat formed in the cap of non-conductive mater1-al,..thermosame into the diaphragm and causing the ers which is automatic inits action and means for-electrically connecting said contact member inthe heating-circuit, saidf ing through the reservoir, of a removablestatically expansible diaphragm carried-by sired, Without in theslightest degree depart- 2. The combination with an electric heater"said seat and having an upwardly extending stud, a nut adjustable onsaid stud, guides and contact members carried by the upper face of thisseat at diametrically opposlte points thereofl a contact member slidablyfitted on said guides and contacting with said contact members when inlowered posi tion, said contactmember being adapted to be raised by theexpansion of the diaphragm, wires extending from the contact members tothe lower face of the seat, pins carried by the seat and connected tosaid Wires and movable in grooves formed in the top of the reservoir,spring clips carried by the reserl voir and adapted to engage said pinsto lock l the cap in place, and contact wires forming l part of theheating circuit extending upwardly through the tie tubes and connectedto said spring clips.

In testimony whereof, We aflix our signatures, in presence of twoWitnesses.

CHARLES C. FINE. ROSCOE o. FINE. JACOB W. FINE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD HUMP REYS, S. C. THOMAS.

